Panther power has a way of roaring back to life when you least expect it: Years ago, Mushroom drummer and music archivist Pat Thomas told me he was working on an epic multimedia compilation on the Black Panthers. Now, hot on the heels of "The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975," comes Thomas' equally inspired lyrical documents of the Oakland-bred group: a hefty Fantagraphics tome, "Listen, Whitey! The Sounds of Black Power 1967-1974," and a CD of spoken word, music and comedy. Alongside obscurities are coups like Bob Dylan's 1971 song "George Jackson." "Dylan was very, very passionate about the black power movement," explains Thomas from Oakland; he'll tell stories and play tracks at S.F.'s Booksmith on Tuesday and Berkeley's Pegasus Books on Wednesday. "It took all of 24 hours for (Dylan) to say, 'Yes, I'm in.' " Next, Thomas will finish a book on Jerry Rubin and the Yippies. "I'm burned out on the politics of the music business," Thomas confesses. The politics of '60s counterculture, however, compel. "I'm probably romanticizing it a little for sure, but I do believe it was a time that rock music mattered."

Comedy Bell-wether: Local laugh-trafficker W. Kamau Bell hasn't even taped the first episode, but I'm already hyped about his forthcoming FX comedy-talk show, executive-produced by Chris Rock and set to premiere in August. "I'm extremely proud that this was accomplished without moving from San Francisco, although maybe it would have happened sooner if I had moved from San Francisco," Bell e-mails. "Also, now I'm probably going to have to move from San Francisco."

Turkish delight: Fans of rad global sounds should be psyched that Turkish psychedelic legend Erkin Koray will meet listeners and sign copies of his "Mechul: Singles & Rarities" on Saturday at Aquarius Records - a first for the artist who has yet to perform in the States. Known as the first musician to ply Turkey with rock 'n' roll, Koray has been battling bootleggers intent on ripping off his intoxicating hybrid of imposing riffs and Anatolian soul. "Sometimes I think I should never have composed these songs," he e-mails. "Then I wouldn't have this headache, and I'd live in peace in this world. It, of course, disturbs me that somebody makes a profit sitting on his couch, while I have years of sleepless nights, working long hours, plotting how to bring something beautiful to mankind."